Stumble Forward
by LanaLlama
Summary: "Tonight..." It would have to be tonight if she were to have any hopes of fixing what was wrong with their isolated world. - A brief look at the small moments when York went to look for the answers. -


**AN: **FINALLY! This has been sat around for months, and I've just never had the inspiration to finish it. I would go to it, add a line, then leave it for two or three weeks. I finally got the will-power to complete it.

I feel like this may have actually happened. York and Tex seem like they would get along.

* * *

"You've got some explaining to do." York growled at Tex, angry strides carrying him into the (locker) room.

"Excuse me?" She lifted her head and unclasped her hands at the sound of his footsteps. Omega's dark growl accompanied her words, and his image flared.

"Allison?" His helmet fell to his side, his arms hung limply; Yorks mess of brown hair was wild; he must have been sick with worry. Poor boy.

"How is she?" Tex quite obviously ducked away from the question.

"She'll live. She's fine...I think. I don't know." He sighed with a deep-set frustration and collapsed onto the bench opposite Tex; brown eyes worn and heavy with worry. "But that's not the point."

"She's a fighter, if anyone can pull through this, it'll be her." Tex's voice pierced the haze of worry that had fallen around him. Delta still sat there, nipping at his mind, the single word still echoing around his head; yet it wasn't there. The noise didn't exist. Traces were all that was left, the briefest glimpses, vivid reds, swirls of blacks, things that vanished the moment he focused on them. Eyebrows shaped in a frown York rubbed his face against his palms, irritation and exhaustion leaking from his form. He took a moment to register her words and process their meaning. The black-clad soldier bore no signs of impatience, though she was hard to read without a face to see.

"Yeah." He wearily agreed to the statement. More fingers through hair, blearily rubbing at eyes. He was too tired to think. There were things he should be noticing about Tex, he knew that much; there were things to argue about. Silence fell between them, both kept their heads bowed, resting upon palms. He swallowed and tasted the words in his mind, then upon his tongue.

"Who is she?" York was at least still coherent. He looked up at her, giving his all to get this information, resting his hopes on the look he gave her. It wasn't merely to sate his curiosity, that was a hunger easy enough to ignore; but Delta, he craved that which was saved for the famished.

"I'm not sure." Tex came close to stuttering, a cover arriving in the form of stretching. She wanted to get it out, she wished she could. There ought to be a way for her to lessen this burden. That moment back there, where she had come so close to losing it, reminded her of something she would far rather keep buried and lost.

"Oh come on!" York's whining voice slapped her smartly. "You clearly know something, so cut the bull-crap!" Anger didn't suit him. York was awkward in his rage and it didn't sit well with either of them. He stood, quite suddenly to bring himself to a pace, long, lengthy strides carrying him back and forth. She just watched him, avidly, like a puma and its prey.

"You don't want to get involved in this." She used a warning in her tone, hoping that he would back down.

"I'm already involved." Like it or not, that was true, and Tex would have to deal with it. Today had been a long one for all of them, and just like the rest of the group, she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a warm, soft bed and sleep for hours on end. "Something is clearly going on, and we all know it. I'm not getting dragged down because everyone else wants to be ignorant."

She bit at her lip, thoughts fast flying. They moved easily to the object dangling around her neck; tucked away under her armour. She had found it in her locker. It had been meant for her, despite the name carved into the metal sheet. Perhaps it was meant just for her; maybe it was for them all, and Tex was to be the messenger.

"I might have something." Was all she said, after a moment of nothing but their silence and York's impatient footsteps. His eyes raised from the floor, curious, hopeful, wanting. Her palm came up to cut them short."Nothing solid, yet; but you'll be the first to know."

She couldn't risk giving the guy false hopes, nor could she shoot him down like that.

"How long?" And there York was, asking for a time frame.

"Tonight..." It would have to be tonight if she were to have any hopes of fixing what was wrong with their isolated world.

The brunette watched her, the cautious way she looked up to him, and for once, seemed like more of a person than he was. He caught his lip between his teeth, making his lack of confidence evident.

"Wash get's his A.I tomorrow." His feet stopped moving. All at once, the weight of the world collapsed onto his shoulders, and he sat himself beside Tex, eyes wavering with concern. "There's something wrong with them." She could only nod. "There's nothing we can do?" A shake of the head.

Much more silence filled the room, each lost to their own train of thoughts, begging to get off.**  
**

_There's always casualties in war._


End file.
